Changes to Laws of the Game
From 1 June 2020, the International Football Association Board have made some small changes
A few small changes have been made to the official IFAB Laws of the Game from 1 June 2020.
Law 1 – The Field of Play
Goalposts and the crossbar may be a combination of the four basic shapes
Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match
Yellow cards (YCs) and warnings are not carried forward into kicks from the penalty mark (KFPM)
See also changes to Law 14 relating to KFPM
Law 11 – Offside
Deliberate handball by a defending player is considered ‘deliberate play’ for offside
Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct
Handball:
the boundary between the shoulder and the arm is defined as the bottom of the armpit (see the diagram in link below, page 14)
‘accidental’ handball by an attacking player (or team-mate) is only penalised if it occurs ‘immediately’ before a goal or clear goal-scoring opportunity
A goalkeeper can receive a YC or be sent off (RC) for ‘illegally’ touching the ball a second time after a restart (e.g. goal kick, free kick etc.) even if the touch is with the hand/arm
Any offence (not only a foul) which ‘interferes with or stops a promising attack’ should result in a YC
A player who fails to respect the 4m required distance at a dropped ball should receive a YC
If the referee plays advantage or allows a ‘quick’ free kick for an offence which ‘interfered with or stopped a promising attack’, the YC is not issued
Law 14 – The Penalty Kick
An offence by the goalkeeper is not penalised if a penalty kick misses the goal or rebounds from the goal (without a touch from the goalkeeper) unless the offence clearly affected the kicker
The goalkeeper is warned for the first offence; it is a YC for any further offence(s)
The kicker is penalised if the goalkeeper and the kicker offend at exactly the same time
VAR protocol
Only one ‘TV signal’ is required for a VAR-only review
Glossary
A definition of the offence of holding has been included
A player’s position at a restart is the position of the feet or any part of the body which is touching the ground (except as outlined in Law 11 – Offside)
Clarification
If at a goal kick or free kick the goalkeeper ‘flicks’ the ball up and a team-mate heads/chests the ball back for the goalkeeper to catch, the kick is retaken; there is no disciplinary sanction (unless this occurs persistently)
